Bucaramanga is a medium sized city, home of nearly one million people. It's a major commercial hub in north-eastern Colombia, playing a significant role in trade between Colombia and Venezuela. It's not a huge destination like Cartagena de Indias or Santa Marta, nonetheless it is surrounded by beautiful landscapes and ancient towns with a lot of history, which overall makes the visit to Bucaramanga worthwhile.

Around and closeby
The road that links Bogotá with Bucaramanga offers some excellent spots worth checking out, like the Chicamocha Canyon and the towns of San Gil and Barichara.

Sightseeing
There are plenty of things to see in Bucaramanga, on the east side you can find large balconies to enjoy a panoramic view of the city. In the south of Bucaramanga there are different resorts or clubs where you can play golf, football, swim, or just chill out with your friends. Generally the most popular zone in Bucaramanga is Cabecera, this is the most modern area in the city with lots of malls and entertainment like cinemas, restaurants and shops.

Getting there
Bucaramanga has a domestic airport, Palonegro Airport, and it has connections with Bogotá, Medellin, Cúcuta and Yopal. It's located about 45 minutes away from Bucaramanga, near the town of Lebrija. The city offers a clean, modern bus station from where you can take buses to almost any destination in Colombia.

Getting around
Foreigners should not take buses if they are travelling alone, especially to some 'hot' (dangerous because of the conflict) places like Villavicencio and Barrancabermeja. The road that links Bogotá with Bucaramanga is safe, and you can freely travel on this road or take buses with no concern. Taxi is by far the best way to travel around, they are very clean and safe.